As is well-known, swimming pools and other types of man-made pools have a tendency to collect dirt and debris. This is particularly bothersome when the aesthetics of the pool are disturbed by accumulations of material in the bottom of the pool. Further, it is also well-known that if the material is allowed to remain in the pool it can eventually cause discoloration of the water and, in the case of swimming pools, cause a deterioration of the pool's water quality to the point where it is unhealthy to swim in the pool. In any event, it is preferable, and sometimes necessary, to remove the accumulated dirt and debris from the pool.
It happens, however, that pool cleaning presents certain unique problems. For instance, due to the nature of water it is nearly impossible to clean the bottom of a pool by merely sweeping it. Almost always, the result of sweeping the bottom of a pool is to merely stir up the material from the bottom into the water. The stirred-up material then subsequently settles to the bottom and the process must then be repeated with another unsatisfactory result. Consequently, it is well-known that the best way in which to remove material from the bottom of a pool is to vacuum the bottom.
Several pool vacuum cleaning systems are known. Indeed, many large pool cleaning systems are known which recirculate water in the pool through filters to clean the water. Recirculating cleaners, however, are generally not able to remove the dirt and debris which inevitably collects on the bottom of pools. Consequently, smaller underwater vacuum cleaning systems which are not an integral part of the pool's water circulation system are employed for this purpose. These smaller pool-independent systems, however, are generally not self-contained and must commonly rely on pressurized water from an external source to generate a vacuum. More specifically, a typical underwater vacuum system, which is used primarily to remove dirt and debris from the bottom of a swimming pool, incorporates a device having fluid passageways that directs pressurized water through the device to create fluid flow through a vacuum nozzle on the device. This flow then draws dirt and debris from the bottom of the pool into a collection chamber where it can subsequently be removed from the pool. Typically, such devices require connections with external components to be functional. For instance, one well-known source of pressurized water is a simple water faucet and an attached garden hose. Still, there is the problem of making all of the required connections and insuring that all connections are properly sealed. Moreover, even though they may be operated independently from the pool's water circulation system, many of the presently used underwater vacuum cleaning systems are bulky. Furthermore, in an effort to improve their efficiency for cleaning large areas, they incorporate large vacuum nozzles which are basically inefficient for vacuuming small underwater surfaces, such as steps.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an underwater vacuum cleaner which is self-contained and which is operable without being connected to external components, such as a source of pressurized water. Another object of the present invention is to provide an underwater vacuum cleaner which is able to remove accumulated dirt and debris from areas on the bottom of a pool. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an underwater vacuum cleaner which is manually operable. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an underwater vacuum cleaner which is relatively light weight and which is easily maneuvered around the bottom of a pool. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an underwater vacuum cleaner which can be easily drained of water. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an underwater vacuum cleaner which is intermittently operable to allow for relocation of the vacuum cleaner underwater. Another object of the present invention is to provide an underwater vacuum cleaner which is simple to use, relatively easy to manufacture and comparatively costeffective.